SAVING LUNA
Oregon Premiere!
Directed by Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit
Canada, 92Minutes
Documentary/Family Friendly
SAT APR 25, 4:45pm; SUN APR 26, 2:30pm
Filmmaker Michael Parfit in attendance
Film Hosted by Linda Mason & Claudia Kyle
Saving Luna tells the sweet, captivating story of Luna, a lone baby killer whale who gets separated from his family in a remote Vancouver Island fjord. When Luna seeks companionship from people, he breaks a fundamental barrier built of mutual fear and ignorance that normally exists between humans and wild beings. This shattering of convention leads to joy, confusion and anger. In a magnificent landscape, different groups of people fight over their wildly differing views of who Luna is, and what needs be done to save him. To filmmakers Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit, he's a lone, lovable street kid whale. Eventually, as more and more people advocate Luna's death, Michael and Suzanne become intricately involved in the efforts to protect him. They believe he can be protected if he is simply given the friendship he seeks. But that's not so easy. Finally, as conflict and tragedy stain the waters, Luna becomes a symbol of the world's wildest beauty: wonderful to know, but so hard to save.
Filmography: First Feature
Awards: Bermuda International Film Festival's Documentary Prize, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival's Festival Prize, Leo Awards' Best Documentary Program or Series, Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival's Festival Prize for Best Storyline, Palm Beach International Film Festival's Special Jury Prize, Santa Barbara International Film Festival's Audience Choice Award, Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival's VIFVF Award for Best Documentary, WorldFest Houston's Platinum Remi in Nature and Wildlife, Canadian Film & Television's Indie Award & Best Documentary, Wildscreen Festival's Panda Award, Middle East International Film Festival's Black Pearl Audience Choice, Victoria International FIlm Festival's Best Documentary, San Francisco Ocean Film Festival's Audience Award, Byron Bay Film Festival's Best Environmental Film, Projecting Change Film Festival's Best Canadian Film, Banff Mountain Film Festival's Special Jury Award, Wild & Scenic Film Festival's Special Jury Award, Columbus International Film Festival's Chris Awaards Honorable Mention
Michael Parfit (Director)
Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit are writers and documentary filmmakers based near Sidney, British Columbia. They specialize in telling stories of the relationships between people and our natural world. In 2004, they came to Gold River, Nootka Sound, to cover the story of Luna for Smithsonian magazine. They planned to stay for three weeks. They stayed for three years. Michael was the script writer for the IMAX film Ocean Oasis, which premiered at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in September 2000, and was awarded Best of Category at the 2001 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, and a Panda Award at Wildscreen 2002. He was the final author of the narration script for the IMAX/ OMNIMAX film Antarctica. He also co-wrote the script for Under Antarctic Ice, a WNET/Nature production, which premiered on PBS in January, 2003. He is the author of four books and numerous articles for National Geographic and Smithsonian magazines.
